Hello everyone, I’m a screenwriter and I’ve written an English feature-length screenplay called God’s Deception (thriller/sci-fi/crime).
I know the usual industry range for a feature script is 90–120 pages, but mine ended up being 61 pages. The story would still run for more than 1 hour 30 minutes on screen. The only issue is the page count.
My question is: can a 61-page screenplay be considered a feature, and can I submit it to competitions in the feature category?
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As I recall the script for ALIEN is very short and did not describe the alien, just said things like "the alien reaches out." But I think you want to get to 90 pages for a feature. You can space out the language. Check out the script for HARD TIMES by Walter Hill. Admittedly he was directing it himself and could keep description to a minimum, and did not have to describe the hero Cheney (who was played by Charles Bronson in the excellent film), but it's a good example of minimal wording with lots of white space. I think Hill worked on ALIEN as well.
A 61-page script might be considered a feature, Srabon Ghosh. I watched a feature film the other week that was like 71 minutes without the end credits, and I've heard about other short feature films getting made.
I suggest checking with the contests to make sure they consider a 61-page script a feature.
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Let a screenwriter see it. You'll get an opinion about length and probably easily resolve your 'time issue'. Sixty pages is very likely giving you an immediate disadvantage you cannot afford at this stage of your journey.
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Your page count is very light. Get yours up to 90, and let the producer and director be concerned with what to do with it.
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I think the screenplay for THE ARTIST was very short, approximately 41 pages, but its running time was around 100 minutes.
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I loved the style of the artist, but absolutely do not like that movie. But what do I know. To me it was a misfire. Millions of others obviously don’t agree. That’s movies for you.
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A 61pp screenplay that translated into a ~90min movie sounds odd. Unless the film is almost entirely visual with next to no dialogue. Generally, our craft dictates writing pages that average around 1min of screen time per page. That makes things like scheduling easier. There are short scripts for famous films out there, but they are typically developed internally.
I'm pretty sure competitions will happily take your money.